Vandeweghe hits her stride at The Oaks tourney

By MIC HUBER

Wednesday

Mar 28, 2012 at 9:36 PM

She won three qualifying matches in three days just to get into the main draw of The 2012 Oaks Club $50,000 Pro Circuit Event. On Wednesday, she powered past local favorite Caroline Dailey 6-1, 6-2 in her opening round of the main draw.

There remains a lot of matches to play before any celebrations begin, but Coco Vandeweghe has already had a productive week of tennis.

Starting Sunday, Vandeweghe won three qualifying matches in three days just to get into the main draw of The 2012 Oaks Club $50,000 Pro Circuit Event being held here this week.

On Wednesday, she powered past local favorite Caroline Dailey 6-1, 6-2 in her opening round of the main draw of the women's professional tournament at The Oaks Club. The win sets up a meeting today with third-seeded Alexandra Panova.

Is it too early to be going coo coo for Coco?

The 6-foot-1 big-hitting blonde won the U.S. Open junior title in 2008 without losing a set after getting into the tournament on a wild card but has struggled to advance to the top echelon as a pro.

"It's a very tough tournament here," Vandeweghe said. Ranked No. 169 in the world, she didn't expect to have to grind through qualifying to get a shot at winning a tournament title.

Making the best out of the situation, Vandeweghe said her run through qualifying helped against Dailey, a player she knew nothing about ... except that the 17-year old Out-of-Door student had a large contingent of fans to cheer her on.

"When you win (in qualifying) you already have those three under your belt," Vandeweghe said. "You go into the main draw and play somebody who hasn't had a match, I think that helps."

Also helping Vandeweghe is her latest coach, Jan-Michael Gambill, a former professional player who reached a ranking of No. 14 in the world on the men's tour.

The two have been friends for a long time but started to work together prior to the U.S. Open last fall. After the Open, Vandeweghe asked Gambill to officially become her coach, telling him, "I don't have anyone else I would rather trust than you."

Vandeweghe comes from an athletic background.

Her mother, Tauna, represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games in swimming (1976) and volleyball (1984).

Her uncle, Kiki Vandeweghe is a former player and general manager in the NBA. Her grandfather Ernie played in the NBA for the New York Knicks.

Her grandmother, Colleen Kay Hutchins, who Coco is named after, was Miss America in 1952.

Her great uncle, Mel Hutchins, was the second player taken in the 1951 NBA draft.

"She has a lot of potential, and we are trying to harness that athleticism," Gambill said.

An arm injury Vandeweghe suffered at the Australian Open interrupted the progress, but the 20-year-old Californian now seems to be getting into the groove.

She says Gambill has helped her with almost every part of her game, from strokes to thought process. Instead of trying to finish the point with one big swing, Vandeweghe is learning the art of building a point.

"We gave her game defense," Gambill said. "What I have been most proud of is Coco keeping her head and her focus."

It's not always easy for Vandeweghe.

"I like to be at the net, and sometimes my patience does lose out to my aggressiveness," she said. "But I am young, so I have a whole lot of learning to do."

Wednesday's match offered a lesson for Dailey, who was inducted into the National Honor Society on Monday at ODA.

On the big points, Dailey tightened up, but she learned that she has the talent to compete.

"I'm definitely right there level-wise," Dailey said. "It is not my level. It is just my experience and maturity. And that is going to come with time."

In an earlier match, Melanie Oudin fell 7-5, 6-2 to Alize Cornet in the first round. Oudin beat Maria Sharapova the way to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in 2009 and also got to the fourth round at Wimbledon that same year,